Photo: Book cover art
Jazz mystery: Michael Fitzgerald and Noal Cohen's book sheds light on the life and music of Gryce, who vanished from the music scene in the early 1960s.
Alto saxophonist, composer, and arranger Gigi Gryce is best remembered today for jazz standards such as “Minority” and “Nica’s Tempo,” but he made other important contributions that included pioneering self-publishing for musicians. In this, the first of a two-part program, we’ll hear some of Gryce’s early music, recorded with artists such as Howard McGhee and Clifford Brown, and talk with Gryce co-biographer Mike Fitzgerald (Rat Race Blues) about the musician’s personal and professional coming-of-age experiences.
Music Heard On This Episode
Miss D.D.
Mary Lou Williams — Black Christ of the Andes (Smithsonian Folkways, 1964)
